A Mystic Gem with a story
by KatonRyu
Summary: ONESHOT kind of. Rita is wondering why Yuri gave her a Mystic Gem. Why is he hiding the truth? Yurita YurixRita
1. Short

**A/N This is the short version of this story. I've removed about three pages of it, because they had nothing to do with the plot whatsoever. If you are interested in these 'lost pages', Chapter 2 is the long version of the story. R&R Please! Flames are accepted, but please give me a reason. I need to know where I screw up, and just telling me I suck without an explanation is a waste of my time and yours. Thanks! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Vesperia or its characters.  
**

If the sky hadn't been torn by the Adephagos, it would have been a beautiful night. Halure's tree barrier kept the rampaging monsters at bay and the sweet scent of the flowers in the warm air gave the town a sense of peace and tranquility.

Leaning against the tree was a young mage from Aspio. She was absentmindedly playing with a green gem around her neck, which glowed faintly. The stone puzzled her, although her confusion had little to do with the gem itself, but rather the reason she had it.

'Dammit Yuri, what were you thinking?!' Rita Mordio thought angrily.

Even after traveling with him for so long, Rita still didn't understand Yuri. He could be a cold and calculating warrior and a sarcastic and rude ruffian, but he was also capable of being a kind person who wouldn't allow the strong to bully the weak and who couldn't bear to do nothing when people were suffering right in front of him.

Yuri had given Rita the Mystic Gem a day earlier, when he had returned from synthesizing new equipment at the shop. He'd told her it was an apology for his suspicions of her when they'd first met.

This had earned him weird glances from the rest of the group, minus Karol, who didn't realize the oddness of the gesture. Rita too had been skeptical of Yuri's explanation. Yuri just wasn't the type to give people gifts as an apology. In fact he wasn't one to apologize at all, always being absolutely confident that his actions were the correct ones. So what had the real reason been?

What annoyed Rita even more was the fact that she actually wore the necklace. While it certainly was a pretty stone, Rita had never been all that interested in jewelry and as far as she could remember she had never worn anything simply for its aesthetic value. Yet the Mystic Gem possessed absolutely no powers of any kind.

"Ah damn!" Rita exclaimed. She hated not being able to answer questions she had on her mind.

"Something bothering you?" someone asked.

Rita looked up, only now noticing Yuri. She turned away and said, "Nothing you could help me with."

Yuri groaned and said, "Let me guess, some new formula you've been working on?"

"Not exactly," was Rita's only answer. She stared at Yuri intently, trying to see into his mind by sheer force of will.

Yuri chuckled, surprising Rita. "What?!" she demanded.

"Nothing, I just noticed that you're still wearing that Mystic Gem," Yuri said.

Rita was momentarily at a loss for words, but she quickly recovered. "Yeah, well, you have to be reminded of your mistakes right? I mean, you gave me this gem in apology; it would kind of defeat the purpose if I didn't remind you of it."

"I guess that's true. Anyway, you ought to get some rest. While we're not moving in on Tarqaron just yet we still need all the rest we can get," Yuri said, now completely serious again.

Rita looked at the ground and sighed. "I know. I just have a lot on my mind."

Yuri nodded and said, "That goes for all of us, I think. Even so, we have to be well rested for the battles to come. It wouldn't be good if one of us simply collapsed."

Rita sighed and got up. "I guess you're right. Wow, that has to be a first," she added, but her tone wasn't snide at all.

She got up and followed Yuri down, only now noticing that he was unarmed. It was very unlike Yuri to leave his trusted sword, the Last Fencer, behind when he left, even if only for a short period of time.

"So what's with all the changes lately?" Rita asked, curious as to what Yuri's answer would be.

Yuri shot a glance at her and said, "What changes?"

Rita forced herself to not explode as she said, slightly strained by anger, "Giving presents, going out unarmed, you know."

She rolled her eyes, even though Yuri wasn't looking at her.

He chuckled and said, "I didn't see the need to take a weapon. I knew you were at the tree, and we're pretty much out of enemies so an ambush was unlikely."

"Okay, so what about the gem?" Rita almost held her breath, expecting to hear his true reason for giving it to her now.

"An apology for suspecting you, as I already told you," Yuri replied.

"Ugh, never mind!" Rita said angrily. She was angry at Yuri for not telling the truth, but also at herself for getting her hopes up. The two reached the inn and headed upstairs, where the others were already sleeping. The Mystic Gem didn't leave Rita's mind, even in her dreams.

_A few days later_

Rain pounded against the windows of the inn, but most of its tenants were asleep. Rita, though, was still restless. She was thinking about the Mystic Gem, again.

"Wow, you're quite the insomniac, aren't you?" Yuri said from behind her.

Rita looked up and said, "I was just thinking. I've got a lot on my mind."

"What is it?" Yuri asked, curious.

Rita sighed. She wasn't going to get off the hook, so she decided she wouldn't let Yuri off either.

"I'm thinking about this," she said as she held up the Mystic Gem. "I want to know why you gave it to me, and don't give me that crap about it being an apology again."

This time it was Yuri's turn to sigh. "I…I don't know. I just thought it would be a good idea is all."

Rita looked at the ceiling and said, "You know what's troubling me most? The fact that I can't figure out why I feel what I feel. Oh, I do know what I feel," she added when Yuri gave her a look. "I'm just surprised that it's you, of all people."

Yuri chuckled. "I guess that goes for me too, in a way."

"I must admit I thought you'd go for Estelle," Rita said. Yuri shook his head.

"I admit, her naiveté is cute, her spirit admirable and her compassion is damn near divine, but I look at her as my sister. You, though…I like your fiery temper, your impatience, your sense of justice. Sure, you and I would have clashes, many clashes, but in the end we'd be okay and I guess I just need an argument every now and then."

Rita gave him an amused look. "You'd be on the receiving end more often than not, I think, especially when I have my…Forget I said that! I never said that!" she suddenly yelled, turning as red as her clothes.

Yuri laughed. "Relax. I was just saying that…I like you." He turned serious. "I like you too much, I guess…"

Rita frowned. She didn't like where this was going. "What do you mean?"

Yuri gave her a somewhat pained look. "I'm twenty-one. You're fifteen. We can't be…you know."

Rita exploded. "Goddammit Yuri! Do you have any idea what you're doing to me right now?! All my life I've lived alone, shunned by everyone because of my intellect and temper. When I met you, it was like having family. Estelle was my sister, Karol my younger brother slash punching bag."

She made an angry sound and continued, "Later on, I even began to see Judith as an older sister, and even that old man could be some kind of twisted uncle. But you…what I feel for you is so similar, yet so different to what I feel for all of them."

She looked away. "What's going to happen after we stop Duke and the Adephagos? Everyone will go their separate ways, and I will be alone again. Do you think I want that?!" she shouted.

Yuri looked pained. He didn't know what he should say, so he just said the first thing he thought of. "Well, Karol, Repede, Judith and I are a guild. Raven belongs to our guild unofficially and even though Estelle will go back to the castle, you could hire us to help you in researching the aer krene. Of course, if you'd visit Estelle while we're with you, we'd be together again. It would be just like now."

Rita sighed. She got up and walked over to Yuri. "You don't get it. It's not that I don't like the banter and so forth, but it's not enough. I need something more than talking."

She wrapped her arms around him and he just held her, unsure as to what he should do.

"Your heartbeat's soothing to listen to. It's so unlike a blastia, yet I care about you more than I've ever cared about any blastia," she said softly.

Yuri smiled and took a deep breath. He gently lifted Rita's face up with his hand and looked into her confused aquamarine eyes. He leaned in and kissed her, cherishing the soft touch of her lips.

When he pulled back several seconds later, he said, "That'll have to do for now. In three years, we can do it all we want. Of course, a hug now and then isn't illegal…"

Rita's eyes widened and she said, "Do you mean that?"

Yuri wasn't used to seeing this side of Rita, but he liked it. He smiled and said, "Yeah. I really do love you, but for now we'll have to lay low. And besides, if we can keep the feeling going for three years we'll only be better for it later."

Rita nodded. "That's true."

For a while, they just stood there. Rita hadn't let Yuri go yet, and he was content with holding her like that. He never imagined she would've ever allowed that.

After a while, Rita said, "I guess we should try to get some sleep."

Yuri nodded and said, "You're right. Let's not tell the others about this, okay?"

"You got it. I don't want them to know, anyway."

Rita walked up the stairs and Yuri prepared to follow her. Before heading up, though, he said, "So, you saw it all, huh old man?"

Raven chuckled from around the corner. "You got some nice moves, kid. I didn't know you were into that girl, though."

Yuri chuckled. "For a while, neither did I. Just do me a favor and keep quiet about it, okay? I really don't want to answer everyone's questions."

"You got it. This old man knows when to shut up," Raven said with a wink.

"Thanks."

"Just don't go all lovey dovey on me, okay?" A dull thud echoed through the inn when Yuri's fist connected with Raven's head.

**Like I said, R&R please! The long version is in chapter 2, if you think you can bear it.**


	2. Long

**A/N This is the full length version of the story. Let me explain. The idea was to have a scene in Halure, then an ambush where Rita would lose her Gem and finally a scene in Capua Nor wrapping it up. However, as I went along, the 'ambush' part got out of hand and evolved into something unfit for this fic. Therefore it was removed. The ambush subplot, so to speak, might be worked out one day into a fic actually worth reading. Anyway, for this one goes the same thing. R&R, flames accepted if they have a reason with them.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Vesperia or its characters, although Crimson Leviathan and Belial are my own creations.**

If the sky hadn't been torn by the Adephagos, it would have been a beautiful night. Halure's tree barrier kept the rampaging monsters at bay and the sweet scent of the flowers in the warm air gave the town a sense of peace and tranquility.

Leaning against the tree was a young mage from Aspio. She was absentmindedly playing with a green gem around her neck, which glowed faintly. The stone puzzled her, although her confusion had little to do with the gem itself, but rather the reason she had it.

'Dammit Yuri, what were you thinking?!' Rita Mordio thought angrily.

Even after traveling with him for so long, Rita still didn't understand Yuri. He could be a cold and calculating warrior and a sarcastic and rude ruffian, but he was also capable of being a kind person who wouldn't allow the strong to bully the weak and who couldn't bear to do nothing when people were suffering right in front of him.

Yuri had given Rita the Mystic Gem a day earlier, when he had returned from synthesizing new equipment at the shop. He'd told her it was an apology for his suspicions of her when they'd first met.

This had earned him weird glances from the rest of the group, minus Karol, who didn't realize the oddness of the gesture. Rita too had been skeptical of Yuri's explanation. Yuri just wasn't the type to give people gifts as an apology. In fact he wasn't one to apologize at all, always being absolutely confident that his actions were the correct ones. So what had the real reason been?

What annoyed Rita even more was the fact that she actually wore the necklace. While it certainly was a pretty stone, Rita had never been all that interested in jewelry and as far as she could remember she had never worn anything simply for its aesthetic value. Yet the Mystic Gem possessed absolutely no powers of any kind.

"Ah damn!" Rita exclaimed. She hated not being able to answer questions she had on her mind.

"Something bothering you?" someone asked.

Rita looked up, only now noticing Yuri. She turned away and said, "Nothing you could help me with."

Yuri groaned and said, "Let me guess, some new formula you've been working on?"

"Not exactly," was Rita's only answer. She stared at Yuri intently, trying to see into his mind by sheer force of will.

Yuri chuckled, surprising Rita. "What?!" she demanded.

"Nothing, I just noticed that you're still wearing that Mystic Gem," Yuri said.

Rita was momentarily at a loss for words, but she quickly recovered. "Yeah, well, you have to be reminded of your mistakes right? I mean, you gave me this gem in apology; it would kind of defeat the purpose if I didn't remind you of it."

"I guess that's true. Anyway, you ought to get some rest. While we're not moving in on Tarqaron just yet we still need all the rest we can get," Yuri said, now completely serious again.

Rita looked at the ground and sighed. "I know. I just have a lot on my mind."

Yuri nodded and said, "That goes for all of us, I think. Even so, we have to be well rested for the battles to come. It wouldn't be good if one of us simply collapsed."

Rita sighed and got up. "I guess you're right. Wow, that has to be a first," she added, but her tone wasn't snide at all.

She got up and followed Yuri down, only now noticing that he was unarmed. It was very unlike Yuri to leave his trusted sword, the Last Fencer, behind when he left, even if only for a short period of time.

"So what's with all the changes lately?" Rita asked, curious as to what Yuri's answer would be.

Yuri shot a glance at her and said, "What changes?"

Rita forced herself to not explode as she said, slightly strained by anger, "Giving presents, going out unarmed, you know."

She rolled her eyes, even though Yuri wasn't looking at her.

He chuckled and said, "I didn't see the need to take a weapon. I knew you were at the tree, and we're pretty much out of enemies so an ambush was unlikely."

"Okay, so what about the gem?" Rita almost held her breath, expecting to hear his true reason for giving it to her now.

"An apology for suspecting you, as I already told you," Yuri replied.

"Ugh, never mind!" Rita said angrily. She was angry at Yuri for not telling the truth, but also at herself for getting her hopes up. The two reached the inn and headed upstairs, where the others were already sleeping. The Mystic Gem didn't leave Rita's mind, even in her dreams.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

The next day, the group ran into a nasty surprise. Former members of the Blood Alliance and Leviathan's Claw had banded together to take out Brave Vesperia and those traveling with them. While Yuri and the others were much stronger than their opponents, the new group, who called themselves Crimson Leviathan, had the benefit of large numbers and handheld hoplon blastia.

"You know, you could've at least come up with a better name," Raven said as the group was taken to Crimson Leviathan's headquarters, located on Ehmead Hill.

"Shut up, keep walking," one of the goons said.

Rita wanted to torch the guy, but with her hands bound behind her back she wasn't in much of a position to fight. Oh, she had taken out a staggering number of guild members, but in the end she'd been overwhelmed, just like all the others.

The handheld hoplon blastia were still extremely powerful and with fire coming from all sides it hadn't taken Crimson Leviathan long to subdue them.

"If the Union finds out about this you're in trouble you know!" Karol threatened.

"The Union won't interfere. Did you forget that two of the five master guilds are ours, and that the Don is dead?" a large man wielding dual scimitars said.

Karol looked at the ground, realizing the guy was right.

"You are so going to pay for this, you hear me?!" Rita said, suddenly blazing with fighting spirit again.

The large man chuckled. "We're not going to pay for anything, girlie. Crimson Leviathan will soon be the only master guild, and once we've accomplished that we can bring the empire to its knees. Of course, you won't be around to witness it. The execution of Brave Vesperia and company will be our first order of business once Dahngrest is ours."

"And you don't think that maybe Altosk will get in your way? Aside from them, Palestralle won't be happy with you either," Raven said.

Again, the man chuckled. "Altosk and Palestralle are goners. Oh, I know what you want to say, that they're strong even without the Don and Belius," he said when he noticed Raven was about to comment. "I would say you're right. Only, they don't like each other so much anymore since that apatheia business. Crimson Leviathan is a unit, built up from a master guild and a guild with a lot of power behind the scenes. Ruins' Gate is ours by extension, and there are many more small guilds we can call upon. Palestralle was said to be the only single guild capable of fighting Altosk, but that was before Crimson Leviathan had formed."

Rita was surprised that Yuri hadn't cut into the conversation at all. Normally, he'd be confident and determined, ready to fight. When she glanced over however, she noticed that he was smiling. It wasn't friendly, but bloodthirsty. Rita knew that Yuri had a plan, and she resolved to trust him.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

Light shone in through the cell bars, and Rita knew it was morning. This was the third day in the cell in Ghasfarost. She had been separated from the others and she figured that everyone was being kept far apart to minimize the chance of them escaping.

Her belt and spell book had been taken away by Crimson Leviathan, bust she hadn't expected anything else.

She had been locked up in what could best be described as a closet. It was small and cramped, and the industrial smell suggested oil had been spilled in the room. The only light came from a small window with bars so thick they looked like they could support a roof.

The cell door, surprisingly frail looking compared to the bars blocking the window, opened and a man so big he barely fit in the cell entered.

Rita scowled and said, "What do you want? Have you finally taken over Dahngrest? This cell is starting to annoy me. If you don't hurry I'll be bored to death."

The guard scoffed and came closer. "Still talking big huh? I ought to beat some respect into you, but you have to be identifiable when you get executed, you see."

Rita wasn't scared, not even nervous, when the guard kept coming closer. Even though she didn't have weapons she knew the guard wouldn't hurt her.

The man with the dual scimitars, who had turned out to be the guild leader, had ordered the guards not to hurt anyone, as they had to be in peak condition, or as close to it as possible, when they were executed. This was to ensure a maximal shock for those watching the event.

"I asked you a question, overdressed monkey. What do you want?" Rita demanded.

Though petty, insulting the guard was the only way she could relieve at least a small part of her frustration.

The guard looked like he wanted to ignore his boss's orders and rip Rita's head off immediately, and she knew he was incredibly close to actually doing just that by the way his huge muscles flexed, but the guard controlled himself and said, "I'm here to take everything remotely valuable from you. For instance, that stone around your neck. It might sell for quite a profit."

Rita felt her adrenaline spike, and for the first time since being captured she felt anxious.

"You are not touching that gem, monkey man!" she yelled at the guard, taking on a protective stance.

Of course, the gesture was futile. While Rita was in excellent shape, she was still a fifteen year old girl going up against a huge guild member. The man took her both of her wrists in a single hand the size of a shovel and pulled the Mystic Gem from her neck with the other.

"Goddammit! Let me go you piece of crap! I'll torch you to a crisp, just wait!" she yelled.

The guard laughed, finally getting his revenge for the verbal abuse he had to take a minute ago.

"Must be a pretty precious stone to you if you're freaking out so much over losing it. Maybe I'll keep it myself then," he sneered, hoisting Rita up by her arms so he could look her in the eye.

He threw her into a corner and left, leaving Rita to shout and curse in her cold, steel cell. While she was raging, she wondered why she was getting so upset. Of course there was the obvious anger at being robbed, but her reaction was disproportionate, even to someone as violent as her. What was going on with her?

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Later that day, the others came to get her. Karol had managed to pick the lock on his cell door and he had freed the others, only now arriving at Rita's cell.

"Sure took you guys long enough," Rita said as she casually walked out of her cell.

Yuri grinned and said, "We got kind of held up. Walking around without weapons is a pain." He grimaced. "And here I thought we didn't have enemies left."

"Get used to it, kid. The strong always have enemies. Being a guild member, you'll learn soon enough," Raven said.

"I'm just glad Karol managed to get out," Estelle said happily.

"Indeed. Very impressive," Judith agreed.

"Woof!" was Repede's comment.

"Heh heh," Karol chuckled nervously, blushing slightly.

"Well, I couldn't just stay put, could I?" he said.

"Definitely. Don't know what we'd do without you, Boss," Yuri said jokingly.

Karol groaned. "I thought you'd stop calling me that," he winced.

"Hey, you said you didn't mind when I thought you deserved it, right? Well, seeing as how you just saved our lives I think you've earned it," Yuri said, serious now.

Karol looked at the floor, not used to so much praise.

"Anyway, we should move. We don't want to run into anyone before we have our stuff back," Raven said, returning everyone to the present.

"As soon as we do, I'm going to burn that guard," Rita seethed.

"I suggest we don't stop there. This guild is a threat to everyone. I mean, they continue thinking like this with something like the Adephagos threatening our world, and Duke on the verge of taking all of us out to stop it. These guys have no reason to exist," Yuri said.

"Yuri! We can't just kill all of them!" Estelle exclaimed, shocked at Yuri's words.

He looked at her and said, "No, we can't. Their numbers are far too great for that. I say we take out their leader and leave them to the knights once the Adephagos has been stopped."

Judith nodded. "It is a sound tactic; without the leader this group will be in disarray long enough for us to escape and warn the knights."

Estelle was still troubled. "But do we really have to kill him?"

Rita sighed. "Estelle, life isn't always easy. Sometimes you have to do things of…questionable ethics. Yuri knows that, that's why he took out Ragou and Cumore. Ugly things are a necessity at times, and they're a fact of life. Now, we don't have to time to stand around debating this. Come on, let's go."

Estelle nodded sadly and Yuri gave Rita a small, approving nod. He hadn't expected her assistance, but he welcomed it. Rita didn't feel right about saying those things to Estelle, but she knew there really was no other choice. And she also knew she wouldn't hold back against the huge guard, if she ran into him.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

The Last Fencer was a beautiful sword, there was no denying that. Even with blood staining its blade, the gleaming steel was mesmerizing. Yuri struck one last time, making his opponent back up. A quick Azure Edge brought Belial to his knees.

"So, this is the power of Brave Vesperia," he mused as blood flowed from his wounds.

Yuri walked closer to him and Estelle averted her eyes; she knew what was going to happen.

"So, I imagine you will kill me now?" Belial sneered.

He wasn't afraid, even with blood clinging to him and his life about to end.

"You should've known better than to target us. We have killed both Barbos and Yeager. Both of them were your superior in battle," Yuri said coldly.

Rita didn't want to admit it, but this side of Yuri was one she didn't like to see. She knew he could be cold and threatening, but it still gave her the creeps.

"Hah. What do I care for them? I wanted to get rid of you and the empire in one fell swoop. Now that I've failed, my life is forfeit. Crimson Leviathan will cope without me," Belial said.

"Will they? We reached you so easily, we beat you so easily. Once I've snuffed you out, we will gut your pathetic excuse for a guild and be on our merry way. Crimson Leviathan will die without anyone even knowing its name," Yuri said darkly.

Rita felt chilled to the bone when Yuri said those words, even though she knew they weren't going to kill all the members of Crimson Leviathan.

Belial stiffened now, anger finally showing on his face. Yuri had finally broken his mask of steel.

"You…I will wait for you in the deepest depth of hell, Yuri Lowell, and once you get there I will destroy you, again and again until nothing is left of you."

"I've heard that before, and the person who said it died, and I lived. Can you guess who it was, Belial?" Yuri threatened.

"I have nothing more to say to you. Kill me, Yuri Lowell, or get out of my sight." Yuri scoffed and raised the Last Fencer.

Though not a stranger to killing, Rita averted her eyes when Yuri brought the sword down on Belial's neck.

Once Yuri and the others had released her from her cell, things had gone quickly. After finding their equipment in a storage room (Karol picked the three locks on it) they'd moved to the 'throne room' of the hastily constructed base.

None of the guards inside had carried hoplon blastia, as the walls wouldn't be able to resist too many shots. Rita's Mystic Gem hadn't been in the storage room, however, and she had feared she'd lost it for good, when they met the huge guard who'd taken it from her.

He was Belial's second in command, but he had never told them his name. Upon bringing him down Rita had taken back her Mystic Gem and she felt the anxiety drop off her like a weight. Even now, she wondered why the gem was so important to her.

After the fight with huge guard, the group had confronted Belial, which had just now resulted in Belial's death.

As the group walked out of the base, unhindered by the guild members as they were too busy hurrying to the command room to confirm Belial's death with their own eyes, Estelle said, "Was it really necessary to taunt him like that? You could've given him a mercy killing."

"He got what was coming to him," Yuri replied.

"Still, don't you think you were a little harsh?" Karol said.

Just like Estelle, Yuri's coldness troubled him.

"Harsh? Oh come on. He was going to execute us publicly, after bringing down the Union. He deserved every bit of it," Rita said angrily.

She meant what she said, but she didn't admit that even she had turned away from the killing.

"You'll understand when you're older, kid. The fact that you can see the necessity of the act itself is a good start, though," Raven said.

Karol didn't seem convinced, and Estelle even less so.

"We can't change the past. Whether or not we think the manner was appropriate, we all agreed that Belial had to be killed for the good of all of us. Let's leave it at that," Judith said.

No one spoke as they crossed Ehmead Hill and headed for Capua Nor.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

Rain pounded against the windows of the inn, but most of its tenants were asleep. Rita, though, was still restless. She was thinking about a lot of things at once.

Her gem was most prominent, though, strange as it was given the circumstances.

"Wow, you're quite the insomniac, aren't you?" Yuri said.

Rita looked up and said, "I was just thinking. I've got a lot on my mind."

"Are you troubled by the way I killed Belial too?" Yuri asked.

Rita looked away and said, "Not really. I didn't watch the final blow, but I feel no pity or remorse either. Of course it's on my mind, somewhat, but it's not what's keeping me up."

Yuri cocked his head. "Then what is it?"

Rita sighed. She wasn't going to get off the hook, so she decided she wouldn't let Yuri off either.

"I'm thinking about this," she said as she held up the Mystic Gem. "I want to know why you gave it to me, and don't give me that crap about it being an apology again."

This time it was Yuri's turn to sigh. "I…I don't know. I just thought it would be a good idea is all."

Rita looked at the ceiling and said, "You know what's troubling me most? The fact that I can't figure out why I feel what I feel. Oh, I do know what I feel," she added when Yuri gave her a look. "I'm just surprised that it's you, of all people."

Yuri chuckled. "I guess that goes for me too, in a way."

"I must admit I thought you'd go for Estelle," Rita said. Yuri shook his head.

"I admit, her naiveté is cute, her spirit admirable and her compassion is damn near divine, but I look at her as my sister. You, though…I like your fiery temper, your impatience, your sense of justice. Sure, you and I would have clashes, many clashes, but in the end we'd be okay and I guess I just need an argument every now and then."

Rita gave him an amused look. "You'd be on the receiving end more often than not, I think, especially when I have my…Forget I said that! I never said that!" she suddenly yelled, turning as red as her clothes.

Yuri laughed. "Relax. I was just saying that…I like you." He turned serious. "I like you too much, I guess…"

Rita frowned. She didn't like where this was going. "What do you mean?"

Yuri gave her a somewhat pained look. "I'm twenty-one. You're fifteen. We can't be…you know."

Rita exploded. "Goddammit Yuri! Do you have any idea what you're doing to me right now?! All my life I've lived alone, shunned by everyone because of my intellect and temper. When I met you, it was like having family. Estelle was my sister, Karol my younger brother slash punching bag."

She made an angry sound and continued, "Later on, I even began to see Judith as an older sister, and even that old man could be some kind of twisted uncle. But you…what I feel for you is so similar, yet so different to what I feel for all of them."

She looked away. "What's going to happen after we stop Duke and the Adephagos? Everyone will go their separate ways, and I will be alone again. Do you think I want that?!" she shouted.

Yuri looked pained. He didn't know what he should say, so he just said the first thing he thought of. "Well, Karol, Repede, Judith and I are a guild. Raven belongs to our guild unofficially and even though Estelle will go back to the castle, you could hire us to help you in researching the aer krene. Of course, if you'd visit Estelle while we're with you, we'd be together again. It would be just like now."

Rita sighed. She got up and walked over to Yuri. "You don't get it. It's not that I don't like the banter and so forth, but it's not enough. I need something more than talking."

She wrapped her arms around him and he just held her, unsure as to what he should do.

"Your heartbeat's soothing to listen to. It's so unlike a blastia, yet I care about you more than I've ever cared about any blastia," she said softly.

Yuri smiled and took a deep breath. He gently lifted Rita's face up with his hand and looked into her confused aquamarine eyes. He leaned in and kissed her, cherishing the soft touch of her lips.

When he pulled back several seconds later, he said, "That'll have to do for now. In three years, we can do it all we want. Of course, a hug now and then isn't illegal…"

Rita's eyes widened and she said, "Do you mean that?"

Yuri wasn't used to seeing this side of Rita, but he liked it. He smiled and said, "Yeah. I really do love you, but for now we'll have to lay low. And besides, if we can keep the feeling going for three years we'll only be better for it later."

Rita nodded. "That's true."

For a while, they just stood there. Rita hadn't let Yuri go yet, and he was content with holding her like that. He never imagined she would've ever allowed that.

After a while, Rita said, "I guess we should try to get some sleep."

Yuri nodded and said, "You're right. Let's not tell the others about this, okay?"

"You got it. I don't want them to know, anyway."

Rita walked up the stairs and Yuri prepared to follow her. Before heading up, though, he said, "So, you saw it all, huh old man?"

Raven chuckled from around the corner. "You got some nice moves, kid. I didn't know you were into that girl, though."

Yuri chuckled. "For a while, neither did I. Just do me a favor and keep quiet about it, okay? I really don't want to answer everyone's questions."

"You got it. This old man knows when to shut up," Raven said with a wink.

"Thanks."

"Just don't go all lovey dovey on me, okay?" A dull thud echoed through the inn when Yuri's fist connected with Raven's head.

**A/N So, this is the full version. Lots of unneeded stuff that doesn't add to the plot. R&R if you've made it this far! Thanks!**


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